Operation Kidnap Cunningham
by Natalie Elizabeth
Summary: When Castle is kidnapped from the Hamptons his captors don't want money, his autograph or even his Facebook password No. They want something so ridiculously convoluted. They want Castle to... TALK! Set end of season 2
1. Chapter 1

I'm back with another farfetched tale. : ) I am all about "right/writing" a wrong.

Oh a big shout out to my new family of OZ Castle friends. Really looking forward to meeting all of you in person next weekend.

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Two men huddled behind the large hedge that surrounded the property. For twenty minutes they had been watching the house to look for any signs of movement, but had yet to see any. It was 1 am, and if they were going to make their move it had to be soon. It would take more than a few hours to execute their plan, and the cover of darkness gave them the anonymity they needed.

"OK Nessie, I think it's time we make our move." The slightly more muscular man of the two told his slimmer cohort.

"Nessie?" the other asked, unimpressed.

"Dude. We can't use our real names, he'll know. Did you get the portable voice changers?"

"It was my job. I got the black clothes, the duct tape and the voice changers. You were in charge of recon and apparently inaccurate code names. Nessie doesn't even make sense. If you're referring to The Loch Ness Monster, it's Scottish."

"We don't want codenames that he can understand. He's not a complete idiot. You're Nessie and I'm Zorro."

"Oh great, so I'm a mythical creature whereas you're a mythical crime fighter." Nessie responded.

Zorro shook his head. "Who cares what our names are. We're here for the boss."

Nessie nodded. "Okay. For the boss. Now let's go."

Nessie pulled his balaclava over his head and put on a pair of dark glasses. It would have made it impossible to see if it hadn't been for the bright moon in the sky.

"Operation Kidnap Cunningham about to begin." Nessie started walking towards the house when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around to face his partner. "What?"

"For starters, use your voice changer," a digitized voice told him. "And second, 'Kidnap Cunningham'?"

"Yeah, Cunningham. You know, like Richie Cunningham from Happy Days." His voice through the sound changer came out high and squeaky. "Wait, did you mess with voice changer?"

"You were in charge of them, not me, Nessie. Cunningham. Seriously, and you give me grief for our names."

Nessie adjusted his voice changer. "Well, you come up with a better name," his voice now deeper.

Zorro stayed quiet for a few moments. He then raised his changer to his mouth. "Cunningham it is. Now let's move."

The two men stealthily made their way across the manicured lawn. When they got to the side door, Nessie swore.

"Security system. I knew it wasn't going to be this easy."

Zorro shook his head. "I got this."

"You going to cut the wires or something?" Nessie asked.

Zorro pulled up his sleeve to reveal numbers written there. He punched the code into the keypad. The screen flashed green, and Zorro opened the door with a quick turn of his hand. Nessie put a hand on his partner's shoulder to stop him.

"How did you get the security code?"

Zorro shrugged. "I called Little Red Riding Hood."

"You got her involved?" Nessie gasped.

"Yeah. She agreed. So did Annie."

"Who the heck is Annie?" Nessie questioned.

"Think about it dude. Look, you said do recon. I did recon. They know the lay of the land. Look, we go through this door, then turn right. We go up the stairs and head to the door at the end of the hallway. Cunningham should be there. We take him, and get the hell out of here."

"What about you know who? What do we do about her?"

"The Ice Queen. She takes sleeping pills, she won't be a problem."

Nessie nodded and followed his partner into the home. Together, they quietly made their way over to the stairs. They kept an eye out for any unexpected occurrences. Tiptoeing up the stairs, they made their way to the room of their intended victim. Opening the door, both men walked into the room and then stopped in shock.

"Where's Ice Queen?" Nessie asked.

"Shhh," Zorro told him. "And use your voice changer. Go check the other rooms for the Ice Queen."

Nessie nodded and walked out of the room. Zorro assessed the situation. Cunningham was asleep on his back and they had one missing Ice Queen. The job was meant to be simple. Get Cunningham and take him back to New York. They would hold him there until they were ready for his interrogation. Red Riding Hood had told him that after taking a sleeping pill, the Ice Queen had slept through a smoke alarm and an earthquake. The plan was for her to sleep through this, too.

"Ice Queen is in another bedroom," Nessie announced, entering the room again, which caused the man in the bed to stir.

Zorro reached for his gun just as the man sat up in bed.

"Who are you? I have money in a safe. You can have it, just don't hurt me."

Zorro tucked his voice changer into the front of his balaclava while keeping the gun pointed at their intended victim.

"Cunningham. We're not here for your money: we want you."

"My name is Castle, Richard Castle."

"That's your code name, dirt bag," Nessie yelled at him.

"Nessie," Zorro warned.

"What?"

"Take it easy." Zorro told him. "Listen Cunningham, we want you."

"You want me?" Castle asked.

"Yes, now get out of bed and no one gets hurt," Zorro told him.

Castle nodded and slid out of the bed with his hands raised. "Okay, okay."

"You got a pen?" Zorro asked keeping his gun aimed at their target.

"Why does he need a pen, Zorro?" Nessie asked his partner

"I'm a writer, of course I have a pen." Castle reached for his pen and paper on the bedside table. "Did you want an autograph?"

"No, we don't want an autograph." Zorro shook his head. "You are going to write a note to the Ice Queen. Tell her you made a mistake coming here with her, and you will call her in 24 hours."

"Why do I need to write a note?" Castle asked.

"Just do it," Nessie demanded. "And don't try to include any sneaky clues because we will know."

Castle quickly wrote the note and turned it around for his assailants to see.

"Good. Now leave it on the bed."

Castle did as he was told.

"Please. I'll do as you ask, just don't hurt me. I have a mother and a daughter who depend on me. "

Nessie scoffed. "Do as you're told and you won't get hurt."

"Okay, okay, I'll do what you want. What do you want from me?" Castle asked them.

"To stand there and look pretty." Nessie told him.

"What?" Castle asked turning to the skinner man.

"Yeah, we need to take a photo. Can I hold the gun?" Nessie asked his partner eagerly.

"Fine. And don't even think about trying anything," Zorro warned Cunningham.

Nessie stood next to their victim and held a gun to his head as a photo was quickly taken.

"Now turn around," Zorro ordered once he was happy with the photo.

Castle did as he was told. He suddenly felt something go over his head. Before he even had a chance to reach his arms up they were yanked behind his back and bound.

"Hey, what's going on?" Castle asked.

"You are going to walk out of here and not say a thing or we will gag you, okay?"

Castle nodded. He didn't want to do anything to cause them to hurt him or his family.

So far, they had been quite nice for kidnappers.

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Big Thank You to Annem57 for being my Beta. Its making my works so much easier for people to read and enjoy.

And Lizzie for getting me back into writing because of her kind in depth reviews. I owe you big time girl


	2. Chapter 2

Do you guys/girls/fans/mates know how awesome you are. And to think I was too scared to read reviews. Man I need to grow a set of balls as big as those in the mall. (Inside joke, if your an Adelaidean you will understand.) This story has gotten such a huge response. Which surprised the heck out of me considering it was under 2000 words. I am glad you all thought it was funny. It will get less funny and more angsty as the story goes on, just a warning.

Thanks for the Awesome response.

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Castle was yanked out of his chair. He had been sitting there for quite some time. His captors had actually been quite nice to him so far. Instead of being thrown in the trunk of a car like he expected, he was guided to the back seat. Buckled in, too. The drive was quite pleasant, although he thought perhaps they were trying to confuse him. He was pretty sure they drove laps over the same roads. There was also the right turns that suddenly went left. Any hope he had of figuring out where they were taking him was gone after the first few turns. Music was also played loudly and changed stations after each song.

After maybe three hours, the car was stopped and he was guided out. At least, he thought it was three hours. He had tried to count to sixty for each minute that passed ,then keep a count of how many minutes he had counted. However, the beat of the music sometimes had him counting faster or slower depending on the song. Then he also forgot which minute he was counting, and sometime forgot to stop counting when he got to 60. So even though he thought it was three hours, it could be one or four.

He took a flight of stairs which had been more difficult than he thought it would be. A door had been opened, and he had been taken into what he assumed was a room and given a seat. He had tried to take in everything that he could. So far, all he could tell was the room smelt familiar, and the floor was most likely polished wood. That, and his butt was sore. He was glad to be standing.

"What's going on?" he asked his captors. He was pretty sure the one called Zorro had left, leaving Nessie to watch him. Every time he moved, Nessie would warn him not to. Now they were forcing him to get up.

"The Boss is here, and she wants to hear what you have to say."

Castle was sure the man speaking to him now was Zorro. It was hard to tell, considering his head was still covered and the digitised voices. Castle was pushed forward and he stumbled slightly, trying to remain upright. He was suddenly then pushed down into a chair. Great: his butt was starting to get pins and needles.

"Now you only speak when spoken to." he was told.

As he hadn't been asked a question, Castle remained silent.

A crack of a whip had Castle jolting.

"Okay," he answered quickly.

"If you don't answer our questions directly, we will hurt the ones you love and care about," Zorro told him.

"I'll answer whatever you want. Bank account details, missile launch codes, my Facebook password. Whatever you want, I'll tell you, but please don't hurt my mother and daughter."

"Is that all?"

Castle was by the question confused. "Is what all?"

"Are those the only people you don't want us to hurt? What about the woman at the Hamptons?"He was sure Zorro asked him.

"Yeah, what about the Ice Bitch?" a third digitised voice asked.

"It's Ice Queen, Colorado" Zorro told her.

"Colorado," the third voice asked.

"That's your code name," Nessie told her.

Castle was confused by this third person who the other two called Colorado. Were they the Boss?

"Whatever." Colorado told the other two. "So, Castle, you don't want us to hurt your mother or daughter, but what about the Ice Queen?"

"Gina?" Castle asked, confused. Why were they using codenames, although Ice Bitch was a good one.

"I thought she was left behind," he questioned them.

"We did leave her behind," Zorro told him. "But aren't you worried we will hurt her?"

"Well, yes, of course," he told his captors, wondering why this third person, Colorado, was brought in. If she was the Boss, why was she asking about Gina?

The three captors stayed silent, and he was confused as to why.

"I don't think he is being very forthcoming with us. I think we should go and visit one Detective Kate Beckett," Zorro informed him

Beckett!

"No," Castle yelled. "Keep Kate out of this. I'll answer all your questions. Just please don't hurt her."

"Well, well, well," Colorado smugly addressed him. "For someone who went away for the summer with this Ice Bitch, you seem more concerned about the detective."

"How did you know we were going away for the summer?" Were these people following him, and if so, for how long? Maybe he did need to get a private bodyguard. Although if he had a choice, it wouldn't be Kevin Costner.

There was a crack of the whip and Castle jumped.

"Okay. Okay. Yes I am concerned about a woman I didn't go away with but..."

"But what?" Colorado asked.

Castle sighed. "It's complicated."

Castle heard murmuring and briefly wondered what was going on?

"So uncomplicate it for us." Zorro asked.

"Why are you asking these questions?" Castle was confused. They hadn't asked for the usual things kidnappers asked. What were questions kidnappers asked? He already told them they could have money, yet they didn't seem to want that. What else could he possibly have to offer?

"We are doing it for our boss. Now answer the question. Why did you go to the Hamptons with one woman when it's obvious you care for another?"

Castle frowned, although his captors couldn't see his eyebrows as his head was still covered. He had thought the third person was the Boss. Yet he was pretty sure that was the person who had just asked the question. Despite the digitised voice, he was pretty sure Colorado was a woman. Colorado was straight forward like Zorro was, but the way they had referred to Gina as the Ice Bitch with such venom had him wondering. She or he also seemed to be almost defending Beckett like a girlfriend would.

"Will you answer the question?" Colorado prodded.

"I asked Beckett to come to the Hamptons with me, and she said no."

"So you just go with another woman,"Colorado sneered.

Castle sighed. Oh yeah, Colorado was definitely a woman. "I told you it's complicated."

"Do you want us to hurt Beckett?" Zorro asked.

"No. Please don't hurt her," Castle quickly told them.

"So answer the questions," Nessie demanded.

At least Castle thought it was Nessie. He was getting confused. There were three people in the room and he couldnt see any of them. This was worse than trying to watch Wimbledon.

"I was feeling sorry for myself, okay." Castle hung his head down and shook his head. "Is that what you're after? To hear Richard Castle humiliate himself? Are you recording this for radio or Youtube?" When he got no response, he continued. In for a penny in for a pound. "I felt like I had just been dumped by the prettiest girl in school. If that isn't a shot to the manhood, I don't know what is. Beckett was going away with Schlemming. He's a cop. He is strong and powerful, and arrests people for a living. I am just a wimp who sits in front of his computer and occasionally gets arrested. I don't even know why I thought I could compete with that."

"Oh, you poor little playboy."

Castle frowned. This Colorado person really didn't like him. He wondered if Colorado was really the Ice Bitch?

"That's just it. I am not a playboy." Castle told them

"Oh, and what would you call a different woman on your arm whenever you are out?"

Castle sighed. "That may have been what I was before, but I have changed."

"Really, cause you going from Kate to the Ice Queen doesn't seem like you have changed."

Kate? Colorado had just referred to Beckett as Kate. Yes, they had referred to her as Detective Kate Beckett before, and as Beckett. Yet, they had never referred to her by a code name. Everyone else had a code name, even he did. Cunningham. It was ridiculous. The only Cunningham he could think of was Richie from Happy Days. He looked nothing like him, but then again, he did spawn a daughter with the same colouring. Couldn't they have come up with a better name? Moby Dick. Richie Rich. The great and powerful Oz. Mm, maybe that was going to far.

"Castle," all three people yelled at him, and he winced when he heard the crack of a whip again. He turned his head when he heard a muffled sound of a voice. At least he thought it was a voice. What was going on?

"Quiet."

Castle shrunk down in his chair. "I didn't say anything,"

"Not you," he was told. "We want you to answer the question."

Castle pursed his lips. "Umm, what was the question again?"

"You jumped the Ice Queen after Kate told you no."

Castle shook his head. "No. No. No. There was no jumping, ok? No jumping, no tangoing. Gina is just that, Gina. She isn't Kate. Kate is something special. She isn't like any other woman I have ever met. If I pull a silly stunt, most women would just smile and put up with it. It's a small price to pay to get my money and fame. Gina would get angry at me, and try and make me be someone she could respect. She would use her power as my publisher to get what she wanted. Kate is different. Sure, she gets annoyed at my antics and rolls her eyes, but sometimes she will go along with it. Sometimes, she actually smiles. There is a brain between those ears, and she doesn't use it to manipulate me like other women I've been with. She's the reason why I stopped having a different woman on my arm every other night. There were so many women because I was looking for the one."

"Wait, are you saying you stopped because of Kate?"

Castle shrugged, which was hard to do considering his hands were tied behind his back.

"I thought I had found the one."

"The one, don't you mean the third?" Zorro scoffed.

"Excuse me?" Castle asked. Why were they mocking him?

"You've been married twice already. Weren't those two the one as well?" Nessie the softer of the two male captors asked. At least, Castle was 98% sure this one was male.

Castle shook his head. "I did something so cliché. I got my girlfriend pregnant so I proposed. I didn't want my child to grow up fatherless. It was clear we weren't suited to each other, but I was willing to work at it for my daughter. I was willing to put my own needs aside for my child. Unfortunately, my ex-wife didn't feel the same way. She cheated on me, so I ended it."

Castle frowned as he thought he heard the sound of an intake of breath in front of him. Was it possible his captors had a heart? When none of them made further comments, he continued.

"I didn't propose the second time: Gina did. She said we made a great team, and she was right. I wrote the books: she made me the money. She played upon my insecurities. Told me she was looking forward to being a mother to Alexis. She knew I felt as if it were my fault that Alexis didn't have a mother in the picture full time. I know to the public I come across as confident and full of myself, but really I have insecurities too. I said yes, worst mistake of my life."

"Then why are you dating her again?" Colorado asked.

"We aren't dating again, we were giving it another try. Despite her ability to manipulate, there is an element of Gina that is actually nice. That was the card she played the other night, the nice card. I feel pathetic now, but I fell for it. Although I wasn't completely out of it when I decided to give it a go again. I decided to take it slow starting by talking and really getting to know each other."

"Is that why you were in separate bedrooms?" Nessie asked him.

"They were in separate rooms?" Colorado asked, shocked.

Castle noticed a sound in the room again like someone was trying to talk but couldn't.

"Yes, we were in separate rooms," Castle laughed. "And The Ice Bitch wasn't happy about that. I just wasn't ready to jump into bed. It won't fix anything. She practically insisted on coming with me to the Hamptons when I told her I was going on my own. I still wasn't sure I was making the right decision."

"It was Gina's idea?"

"She called to ask me how the book was going and I mentioned the Hamptons. I never learn to keep my mouth shut. She obviously picked up on my misery and started saying all the right things. I was weak, so I said yes."

"You sound like you regret the decision."

"Hell, yes I regret it. I thought if Ice Queen was there, she would keep my mind off Beckett. Schlemming and Beckett having a nice romantic weekend. The two of them having," Castle started retching. "Sorry I think I am going to be sick."

"You better not hurl on my shoes." Zorro warned.

"Sorry it's just..." Castle took a few breaths trying to calm his stomach. "The thought of the two of them doing... Yuugghhh. This wasn't how it was supposed to be. She was supposed to come to the Hamptons with me. I wanted her to take some time to relax and rest. She works too hard, and I wanted to help her get the break she needs. I had hoped while she was doing that, she'd get to know the real me. That maybe once she realised I wasn't the jackass she believed me to be, that eventually, over time, she might consider being more than friends."

"Seems like this woman is a lot of work. Is it really worth it to get another notch on your bedpost?"

Castle struggled to his feet. "That's not what I am after!" Castle yelled at his captors. At least, he thought he was yelling at them. He wasn't sure they were in the room.

"Sit down," Zorro ordered.

Castle was pushed down it to his seat, but he struggled to his feet again.

"No, I won't," Castle told them. "You kidnap me and ask a bunch of outlandish questions. You expect me to tell you the truth and that's what I am doing. When I first met Beckett, yes I wanted to sleep with her. She was a beautiful, attractive woman who exuded confidence and a hell of a lot of sex appeal. Of course I wanted to sleep with her. So I started following her around, hoping she would eventually fall for me. I never expected it would be me to do the falling. She's smart, she's funny, she's strong. She doesn't simply 'put up' with my antics: she challenges them. Beckett doesn't try to change me, but I find myself changing because of her. She's the type of woman I can see myself growing old with. I love her."

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Hope it was worth the wait : )


	3. Chapter 3

Hey Everyone. I am glad you are enjoying this story. Are there any other stories you are enjoying.

I am heading interstate for a catch up with some Castle fans. Its gonna take like 9 hours to get here. Thankfully I am not driving, I can only drive for 2 hours max as it is. Bad shoulder. Anyway after singing 99 vodka jelly shots on the wall, I am going to need something else to pass the time. So I am looking for some fan fiction to read on my tablet. I like medium to long stories. Caskett. Romance. Not too heavy on murder case but a bit is okay. So any suggestion. Send me a PM. Thanks.

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Castle blinked at his statement. He loved her, he loved Beckett. The room was eerily silent.

"You love her?" Colorado asked.

Castle let out a bewildered chuckle. "Yeah, I do. She took me by surprise, and I didn't think there was anything left in the world that could surprise me."

"Sit down Romeo."

Castle felt a hand on his shoulder and he allowed the man to push him into his seat.

"Look, why did you kidnap me? Surely not to ask me about my love life or lack of it. What is going on?"

The people in the room were silent. Castle frowned.

"Hello, are you still there?"

"We're acting on behalf of our boss. We're doing this because it's what's best for her: whether she realises it or not," Zorro told him.

"Let me get this straight." Colorado questioned him. "You're in love with Kate, not Gina."

Castle nodded. "Yes, I love Kate." The happiness that he had felt for mere moments slipped away. "Why does it even matter, she is off with Schlemming. Is this some kind of new torture technique? Make me feel all pathetic until I reveal all my secrets because honestly it's working. What do you want from me?"

"We want you to grow some balls."

"Zorro," Colorado exclaimed.

"What? If he had balls to speak up to Beckett, he wouldn't be in this dilemma."

"She's with another guy, and she's happy." Castle interrupted.

"Oh, that is utter B.S." Colorado told him. "I hate when the hero says that in movies. If you're in love with someone, you would do whatever it takes to be with them. You don't let them walk off into the sunset with someone else."

Castle hung his head down. "And maybe that's the reason she should be with Schlemming. I didn't fight for her."

"Well, now's your chance," Colorado told him smartly.

Castles head rose. "What do you mean? Where is she? What have you done to her? I swear if you hurt her I'll..." Castle thought for a second. What could he really do? "Well I'll pay someone to track you down. I have friends who are cops too, you know. My friend Esposito is ex-military, and he will torture you so bad and Ryan," Castle paused for a second. "Well Ryan is pretty good on the computer. I'll make sure the internet is flooded with naked pictures of you with a really tiny penis."

This pronouncement caused his captors to laugh.

"You laugh now, but if Beckett is hurt her friend Dr Parish will butcher you with a scalpel. Trust me, you don't want to mess with her. I think even Esposito is scared of her."

"No I.."

"Shhh," someone uttered.

"Nothing will happen to Beckett as long as you listen to our instructions," Colorado told him.

Castle nodded. "Strip me down naked and tie me to the top of the Empire State building if necessary, just don't hurt Beckett."

"That won't be necessary but tempting. We're going to let you go." Zorro told him.

"You are?" Castle asked, confused.

"Yes, we think you have embarrassed yourself tonight," Nessie told him, laughing.

"I.. what?" Castle responded.

"We'll let you go, but you must listen to our instructions."

"Okay."

"We want you to count to twenty. That will give us time to get away without you seeing us. Once we are gone, you can go."

"Go?" Castle frowned. "How can I go? I'm tied up. I don't even know where I am."

"You're resourceful. Think of something," Zorro told him.

"Start counting." He thought Colorado told him, but her voice sounded distant.

Was he supposed to count in his head or was this like a game of hide and seek.

"One, two, three, four, five."

Castle heard the sound of what he thought was a door opening and shutting.

"Seven, eight, nine, ten." Castle heard a muffled voice. Was this a trick? If he stopped counting, would they hurt him or, worse, Beckett? He wasn't sure, so he continued to count.

"Eleven, twelve," he then heard the sound of banging on the floor.

"13."

Castle suddenly heard a loud bang, and then the sound of what he was sure was someone's muffled yelling.

"Eleventeen, eighteen nineteen twenty," he recited quickly.

Something was going on and he needed to find out what. Castle leaned forward and shook his head a few times. He shook it left and right and up and down until he was able to dislodge the bag on his head. Blinking his eyes a few times to adjust to the light, he stared in shock at his surroundings.

"What the,"

Muffled yelling had him looking down in front of him. A turned over chair lay on the floor with a person strapped to it. This unknown person also had a bag on their head.

"Oh my gosh. Are you okay?" he asked the person as he stood up.

The person nodded but continued to wriggle trying to get out of their bonds. Castle made his way over to the person.

"Hey, stay calm. I'm not going to hurt you. The kidnappers have gone," Castle looked around. "I think we're safe now. We're in my home for some reason. I'll protect you."

Castle knelt down in front of the other kidnap victim. Why were they there? How come they hadn't been asked any questions? Or was that the reason why he had been kept somewhere else for so long? Were Colorado and Zorro interrogating this person?

"Just stay calm. I'm going to remove the bag over your head, okay?"

Castle still had his hands tied behind his back, but he wanted to give this person some relief. Being tied up was one thing, but not being able to see was another. Thankfully, only his hands were bound. For some reason, their captors had duct taped this person's feet to one of his dining room chairs. Their hands were bound behind their back as well, but not to the chair. The unknown person was struggling to move their arms, almost flapping them as if they were wings.

"Please stay calm. My hands aren't free, so I'm going to have to use my teeth."

The person started to yell. Obviously the person was gagged under the bag over their head. Maybe they hadn't listened to instructions, which is why they had been gagged. He couldn't wait to tell Beckett that he'd actually listened to instructions and therefore hadn't been gagged. Unlike the person in front of him.

"Trust me, I won't hurt you."

The person stilled their arms and nodded their head. Castle knelt down and leaned forward. He opened his mouth and used his teeth to grip the bag. One he got a decent mouthfull, he pulled back. He had to shuffle back a bit on his knees in order to get the bag off completely. He turned and spat the bag out of his mouth. Smacking his lips together a few times to rid the taste of fabric out of his mouth, Castle turned back to the person.

"Now let's," Castle gaped at the person on the ground.

"Beckett!"

Beckett response was to yell against her gag. The noise Castle had heard frequently during his interrogation.

"Why are you here?" he asked her

Beckett sent him a glare and he knew that meant Castle!

Castle shuffled towards her again and leaned towards her face. He darted his tongue out and licked the corner of the duct tape. Beckett protested, but he kept on with his quest. He managed to snag the corner of the tape with his teeth and he shuffled back again, taking the tape with him.

"Castle," Beckett gasped.

"Are you okay?" asked after spitting the tape out.

"Why did you remove my gag first?"

"I was worried you couldn't breathe. If you have a blocked nose, you could suffocate. Trust me, it nearly happened to me before."

"Castle, I think you need to focus on getting free."

"Right, in case they come back." Castle then stood up and started squirming.

"Oh great, you chose a great time to need to pee Castle."

"I do not need to pee," he told her, bending forward and squatting slightly.

"Then what are you doing?" she asked from her position on the ground.

"I'm trying to get free," he told her. Castle wiggled from side to side, trying to slide his bound hands over his butt. Was it possible for one's collar bone to stretch, if so he was going to be very sore tomorrow. He felt his left arm slide over what he now considered his big butt and his right hand followed. Success. His hands were below his butt now all he had to do was step through his joined hands like a skipping rope.

"Ta da," he announced, his hands now in front of his body.

Beckett raised her brows. "I'm impressed."

Castle shrugged as he made his way over to Beckett's turned over chair.

"I spent a whole summer learning how to do that to see if it was possible for Storm to do it in one of my books." he told her as he righted her chair.

He walked around to face Beckett.

"The trick is to make sure that when you're being tied up to not place your palms together. You put your wrist pinky to pinky." He showed her his hands before kneeling down in front of her.

"What are you doing?" she asked alarmed

Castle looked straight ahead but then reconsidered it when he saw his view. He quickly decided to look up at her instead.

"Umm, I was thinking you might be feeling vulnerable with the way they have strapped you to the chair."

Beckett looked down at herself and then looked away.

"Umm, thanks."

"Once your hands are tied," he continued returning to his task of removing the duct tape from her feet. "You then keep them moving so the tape doesn't stick to your wrists. When you get the opportunity, you turn your palms together and push your palms apart at the fingertips. You now have extra wriggle room being tied up this way. Although your butt is quite small, and you may not need the extra room. Can you recommend some butt exercises for me?"

"Castle," Beckett warned.

"What?" he said, not looking up. "Have you tried to slide your joined hands over your butt, it's hard. You also have to be quite coordinated. I face planted it more than once trying to get my feet through my arms."

Beckett laughed. "I can see that happening."

"There," Castle told her as he freed her legs from their restraints.

"Thanks," she told him as she snapped her legs closed. Beckett then awkwardly stood up and stumbled slightly.

"Whoa," Castle told her, trying to keep her upright with his bound hands. "Let me untie your hands. We wouldn't want you to face plant too. With a split lip, I look even more ruggedly handsome: you, however, will just look like you came out of a cat fight. Which, now thinking about it, would be hot, but then you wouldn't be able to bit your lip and I find that sexy."

"Castle," Beckett warned again.

Castle motioned for Beckett to turn around. He quickly tore the tape from her wrists and winced at the redness.

"Thank you." she told him as she turned around.

"Now do me," Castle told her.

A scowl appeared on Beckett's face. Castle held up his joined hands.

"Oh," Beckett said, and set about untying her partner. "Are you hurt? I couldn't see anything, but I heard them cracking the whip."

Castle shook his head. "No, you?"

Beckett shook her head. "They showed me a photo of you with a gun to your head. They told me if I put up a struggle, they would kill you."

"I thought they were sending that picture to my mother or Alexis for ransom. I should call them to make sure they are okay." Castle started walking toward the home phone.

Beckett followed him. "Castle, why are we at the loft?"

Castle shrugged as he reached the phone. "I have no idea. I guess if I had been kidnapped, no one would think to look here."

The phone suddenly rang, causing both Beckett and Castle to jump. Beckett frowned. "Who would be calling you at," she looked at Castle's oven clock, "5 am."

Castle shrugged as he answered the phone.

"Hello?"

"Oh Mr Castle, I'm glad to see you managed to free yourself."

Castle frowned. "It's my doorman," he told Beckett. "What do you mean, free?"

"Well Starsky and Hutch told us of your research for your book. They said if you didn't come out after 10 minutes that we should call to make sure you are alright."

"Starsky and Hutch?" he asked confused.

"Yes, the two detectives you work with. Detective Beckett's friend, the doctor, said to leave the two of you in there all weekend. She said you two need to sort some mess out. Do we need to send a cleaning crew, Mr Castle?"

Castle looked around the loft.

"What?" Beckett asked.

Castle shook his head. "Ah, no, that's fine. We're both fine. Thanks." Castle hung up the phone.

"What's going on? Do they have video footage of the people who kidnapped us? How did they let them into the building with us bound and gagged?"

"For the record, I wasn't gagged. I listened to instructions."

Beckett huffed. "That would be a first."

"Hey, they told me they would hurt the people I love."

Beckett put her head down. "I'm sorry, that was uncalled for. I'm just a little sleep deprived. I guess we should make some coffee and call the Captain. Get Ryan and Esposito down here."

Castle shook his head. "Oh, I have a feeling Ryan and Esposito will be staying as far away from here as possible."

Beckett frowned. "Why?"

"Did you notice anything about the kidnappers?"

"Well, there were three of them. Two came to my apartment but only one spoke. Not much either. I woke with a gun to my head, and a photo of you in my face. Struggle and he dies, is what one of them told me. "

Castle nodded. "Zorro and Nessie came and got me from the Hamptons, Colorado turned up when the interrogation started. Wait. Why were you at your apartment? Didn't you go away with Schle, arr I mean Demming?"

Beckett bit her lip. "I broke it off with him. Look, Castle, we need to stay focused here. We need to find out who kidnapped us and why?"

Castle frowned. "They said they were doing it for their boss."

Beckett nodded. "That's right, they did say that. So the kidnappers were just the grunt men."

Castle froze. Oh no. Oh no no no. He was going to kill Ryan and Esposito. He didn't want to mess with Lanie, so he would just glare at her next time.

"You heard them?" he asked.

Beckett nodded. "Yeah. I couldn't identify their voices because they used voice changers, but I heard everything they said. They were acting on behalf of their boss. We just have to figure out who their boss is."

Castle gulped. "Umm Beckett, you're their boss."

Beckett shook her head. "What? Are you drunk?"

Castle shook his head even though he wished he was drunk, then maybe he could justify what he had said.

"Beckett, they were acting on your behalf. Nessie and Zorro. My doorman apparently refers to them as Starsky and Hutch. You and I call them Ryan and Esposito."

Beckett's eyes widened. "Ryan and Esposito?"

Castle nodded. "Yeah, Lanie too. I got a feeling that Colorado was a woman when she started attacking me. Verbally not physically."

Beckett looked down and was obviously taking in this new information.

Castle took a step towards her. "Are you okay?"

Beckett shook her head, still not looking at him. "Why would they do this?"

Castle gulped. "They said they were doing it for you."

Beckett turned away from him.

"That's ridiculous. I don't understand why they did this. Why would they kidnap us? "

Castle followed after her. "I didn't understand at first, but now I do. Think about the questions they asked me, Beckett. Think about my answers."

Beckett shook her head. "No. No, Castle. You were under duress. You thought your life was in danger."

"So I could have said anything to them," he told her. "As far as I knew, they didn't really know me. I didn't have to tell them I lo.."

"No," Beckett shouted. She turned to look at him. "No, you don't. Don't say it Castle."

"Don't tell me how I feel, Beckett," he walked towards her, causing her to walk backwards quickly.

"You're sleep deprived; your life was in danger, you weren't thinking straight. I'm going. I'm going to go and kill Ryan and Esposito."

Beckett turned to open the door, but Castle plastered his arm across it in front of her.

"Castle, move," Beckett levelled a glare at him, but he just glared back at her.

"No. We need to talk about this."

"No, we don't," she told him, trying to get access to the door.

"Beckett, it's five am and you're in your pyjamas."

"I don't care."

"But obviously our friends do. Think about it Beckett, they kidnapped us. They drove all the way to the Hamptons to get me. Guns were pointed at our heads. We were tied up. That's a bit extreme, don't you think, but maybe extreme is what was needed."

"What I need to do is get out of here and get my gun."

"Why?" he challenged.

Beckett scoffed. "Why? Because they tied us up."

Castle shrugged. "So what? They played a prank on us. We'll play one on them next time: get them back. Unless of course you're angry at them for another reason?"

Beckett crossed her arms over her chest. "Like what?"

"I don't know, maybe forcing you to listen to something you obviously didn't want to hear."

Beckett huffed. "Oh, I love hearing how weak you are."

"How about hearing that I"

"Shut it, Castle."

"Why?" he challenged.

"Because you ca..,"

"We went over this already, Beckett." he said, interrupting her. "You won't hear my confession, you won't hear my explanation. I understand why Ryan and Esposito did this to us. Even if I did have the balls to face you, you wouldn't want to hear it. It makes sense that they would tie your legs up, too."

Beckett opened her mouth to object but ended up just blowing out air.

"Fine, whatever. I don't care anymore, Castle. It took me ages to fall asleep, and then those idiots go and wake me up."

"Stay," he offered.

Beckett shook her head.

"The guest room," he told her. "It's all set up."

"Why?"

"Why is it set up?"

Beckett rolled her eyes. "Why do you want me to stay?"

Castle sighed. "Because we are not done here. I don't want to wake up tomorrow and find out you have gone and run off to some cabin in the woods."

"I could leave once you fall asleep."

"I'd get the doorman to call me."

"Castle,"

"Beckett, we need to talk about this. Obviously what was said has agitated you. What we need to talk about is why? Besides, it's not like you have money or keys to let you in your home anyway."

Beckett took a deep breath. "Fine."

* * *

So not what you were expecting huh. Hope you weren't disappointed.


	4. Chapter 4

Beckett stormed up the stairs to go and stay in Castle's guest room. She still wasn't sure why. Well okay, she didn't want to fall asleep in a cab, again. Beckett flicked on the light, saw the bed was in fact empty, then turned the light off again. She walked over to the bed and flopped down on it.

Castle was right about one thing: she was agitated. She couldn't believe she had been kidnapped by her friends. Would she ever live that down? She hadn't even put up a struggle. The picture of Castle with a gun to his head had frightened her more than she expected. Obviously, Lanie and the guys had been expecting that reaction because they hadn't even tried to restrain her by knocking her out. With either their fists or drugs. Not that she thought Ryan or Esposito would hit her. Lanie on the other hand, that was another story.

She hadn't figured out where she had been taken or why. When she had heard Castle's voice, she had been relieved. At least they were together and had a chance of survival. Then they had started asking him all those ridiculous questions, and she had tried to scream at him to shut up. He was showing he was weak and they could use that against him.

Except their kidnappers weren't gathering intel for themselves, they were gathering it for her. Ryan, Esposito and Lanie or Nessie, Zorro and Colorado, which were the most stupid codenames, had gotten Castle to reveal things. For her!

The fear in Castle's voice was obvious when they had threatened to hurt her. So was the misery when he told them he felt like he had been dumped by the prettiest girl in school. Richard Castle thought she was the prettiest girl in school, and she had dumped him. Except she hadn't. Schlemming had ruined it for her. She liked Castle's name for him. Beckett was glad her mouth had been gagged when Castle had referred to Gina as the Ice Bitch just as Colorado or rather Lanie had.

Gina! She had ruined it, too. When Castle had needed consoling, Gina had been there. Except Castle shouldn't have needed consoling, he had just needed her to be truthful with him. She had tried to be honest, but it was too late. The damage was already done. Zorro, Nessie and Colorado had tried to fix it for her.

The ridiculous questions weren't so ridiculous now. Gina had gone to the Hamptons, but it had been her idea not Castle's. There had been no sex, and Castle had almost vomited at the idea of herself having sex with Demming.

Castle had been her champion against his would-be kidnappers. When they had suggested she was a lot of work for a notch on his bedpost, he had yelled at them. Castle had defied them by not sitting down when had obviously stood up. He told then that yes he wanted to sleep with her initially, but that he wanted more now. Castle thought she was smart and funny and he loved her.

Beckett gasped as the memory of Castle saying those words. He loved her. The admission had shocked everyone in the room into silence. Castle had then laughed as if his own admission had shocked him too. Richard Castle loved her. He had admitted it to what could have potentially been a bunch of psychopaths. His intention for his invite to the Hamptons had been for her to relax. To rest and get the break he thought she needed. He wanted to take care of her, and while doing so she would get to know the real Castle.

Castle had been open and honest with a bunch of kidnappers, not knowing she was there. His honesty had been met with her making a run for it. Beckett slammed her fist down on the bed before sitting up. She had cried herself to sleep before she had been rudely woken up. Sleep was calling to her, but so was her need to right a wrong.

Beckett climbed out of bed and walked out of the room. She walked down the stairs in the now dimly lit room. Looking around she saw that Castle wasn't there, but their chairs and duct tape had been cleaned away. It's not like they needed it for evidence anyway. Beckett crossed the floor and walked into Castle's study. The Batcave had nothing on this place. To know that some of her favourite sentences had been written within these walls had her trembling. It was potentially here where it all started. Beckett continued through to Castle's bedroom. She had barely taken two steps in when Castle rose up in bed.

"Stop or I'll shoot."

Beckett's eyes widened. "Castle. Since when do you have a gun?"

The lamp next to Castle's bed suddenly filled the room with light.

"I'm sorry, Beckett," he said as he pointed the gun away from her. "It's just a water pistol." He gave the trigger a few squeezes and water shot out.

Beckett rolled her eyes and took a few steps forward. "I can't say I blame you."

"Are you okay?" he asked, pulling the bedding off of his body. "If you want to go home, I won't stop you." Castle stood up and grabbed his phone. "My car is at the Hamptons, but I'll call the service so you won't have to take a taxi. I'll get you a coat and some shoes from Alexis' or Mother's stash."

"Maybe later."

Castle's brows rose. "Later?"

Beckett nodded. "Can we talk?"

"Umm. Yes. Of course. Did you want to go back out there?"

Beckett shook her head and sat down at the end of the bed. "No, here is fine." She looked around the room. "It sounds stupid, but I feel better being in a smaller room."

Castle frowned. "Umm okay."He sat back down on his bed and pulled the covers up. "Cover up if you're cold.

Beckett sent him a smile as she lifted off the bed slightly and half covered her legs with his blankets.

"Thanks." Beckett sat there for a few seconds, picking at her nails.

"So you wanted to talk?" Castle asked.

Beckett nodded. "Yes."

Castle waited. "So, you know that involves talking, right."

Beckett scoffed. "Yeah I know. Listen, Rick,"

"You're calling me Rick now. Ouch, this is the big letdown, right? Kate, its fine."

"Castle, will you just listen to me? You wanted to me to talk, and I'm trying to do that."

Castle nodded. "Okay I'm sorry, go ahead."

"Rick, I'm not saying you don't, but I want to know how?"

Castle narrowed his eyes at her. "I'm sorry, I didn't follow you around that bend."

"You said you love me. Whether you do or not it's up to you. You're right, I can't say that you don't, but I'm trying to figure out how?"

"How can I love you? It's pretty easy, you just let it happen."

Beckett shook her head. "No, I mean you don't even know me."

Castle shrugged as he took in a deep breath. "Maybe you're right. Maybe I don't know you completely, but what I do know about you I love. I want the chance to get to know the rest of you and love that part too. You heard what I said earlier Kate. I'll say it again if you need to hear it."

Beckett lowered her head and bit her lip. "You think I am the prettiest girl in school?" she asked as she raised her gaze to look at him.

She saw a huge grin break out on his face. "You're gorgeous."

Beckett pulled her gaze away from his.

"Castle, I know I'm not the easiest person to get to know. I shut people out, it's what I do. I let you in though, reluctantly. I think it's time I told you why. Why I let you in, but also why I tried to walk away before."

Castle shook his head. "Beckett, as much as I want to hear it, you're right. You're sleep deprived, and probably suffering from a bit of shock, too. Get some sleep, and we can talk later in the day if you still want to."

"I can't sleep. Not while this is on my chest."

Castle leant back against the bedhead. "Okay."

"I was a bit of a hell raiser as a teenager,"

Castle scoffed. "Weren't we all?"

"Well I was after adventure and my parents weren't happy about it. For my birthday, my mother gave me a book, one of your books."

Beckett looked up at Castle to gauge his reaction. He raised his brows but didn't speak.

"My mom told me that what Derrick Storm got up to was real adventures, not getting piercings or tattoos. I threw the book in my clothes hamper and that's where it stayed for ages. Then I got grounded one night and boredom won out. I pulled the book out from under a pile of dirty clothes and read it. The whole thing, in one sitting."

"That's impressive."

Beckett shrugged. "I was bored."

"And you're telling me this why?"

"I fell for Derrick Storm."

"Derrick Storm?" Castle asked surprised.

Beckett bit her lip. "Pathetic huh? Having a crush on a fictional character."

Castle shook her head. "No. Just surprised."

"It's not something I like to admit. A crush might be a bit of an overstatement. He was adventurous and fun, and someone I would have loved to hang with. There wasn't a picture of Derrick on the cover, but there was one of you. So, whenever I thought of Derrick, I started picturing you."

"Me?"

Beckett nodded but wouldn't look at him. She simply pulled one leg up to her chest and rested her head on her knee.

"I settled down a bit and got into college. Then my mom," Beckett gasped.

Castle leaned forward. "Beckett. You don't."

"I wanted Derrick Storm to save me," Beckett gasped through laboured breaths.

"What?"

"I wanted Derrick to save me Castle. I was drowning. I didn't want to go school, to eat, to drink, to speak. I didn't want to live. All I wanted was Derrick Storm to come and save me, for you to come and save me Castle."


	5. Chapter 5

Castle blinked a few times and then shook his head.

"Me."

Beckett nodded as she kept her head down. She couldn't look at him. "I know it sounds stupid. You're not Storm, and Storm isn't real. I just needed an escape and he was it."

"It's not stupid. I write to escape. I write so that others can escape while reading my work."

"And you're really good at it."

Castle stood up from the bed. "Whoa. See, this is the reason why we need to have this conversation when you have had some rest. You aren't acting like Beckett."

Beckett stayed where she was. "No, Castle, I'm not going anywhere. Beckett is my work persona. She is hard, tough and at times a bitch. I have to be in order to deal with criminals and what they do to people. At times at work, I need to be Kate, especially when I need to talk to the victims' families and friends. Sometimes Kate comes to work, unfortunately Beckett comes home way too often. I need to be Kate right now."

Castle nodded as he sat back down. "Okay. Just so you know Beckett's pretty good but I'd like to hear from Kate."

"I know you have probably figured it out, but I am a fan of your books. Even though I enjoyed all of them, the Storm series holds a special place in my heart. With each new adventure, I got to know more and more about Storm. At first, reading about him was a nice way to pass some time on a long car ride or waiting at the doctor's."

"Not sure if I should be offended by that?"

"I can bring Beckett back."

"Shutting up," he told her.

"It wasn't until my mother died that Storm become more. I felt like everyone else had abandoned me, except him. Storm didn't care if I hadn't showered in a week. He didn't care that I hadn't eaten. Derrick Storm had a job to do, and he went and did it. I started reading him whenever I could. When you caught me reading on the toilet, well, it wasn't the first time. I would often sneak away for a break, just to finish of a chapter of a new book. Too many times I had dreams about Storm and I having an adventure together because I was reading before bed."

"I don't understand. If you liked Storm so much, why were you so against me working with you? If you had such an emotional bond to him, why not ask me a million questions about him? Why didn't you draw your gun at me when I killed off Storm?"

Beckett bit her lip, and finally looked up at him. "Trust me: I wanted to shoot you. I even cried, but I didn't see it coming. Well, not Storm being killed, but ending the series. The books just weren't as good as they once had been."

"That still doesn't explain why you didn't want me around. You didn't even know how annoying I was then."

"Do you know why I liked Storm so much?"

Castle shrugged. "Ahh, cause he's awesome?"

Beckett shook her head. "No. It's because he wasn't real. Derrick couldn't hurt me, but you can."

"I wouldn't hurt you Beckett."

Beckett scoffed. "Castle, on our first case you were signing boobs and offered to debrief me." She shook her head. "No wait, that's not right,"

"Well I did do those things,"

"I didn't want my crush on Storm to be transferred to you." Beckett shook her head . "I can't believe I admitted that to you. I am not delusional. I know you're not Storm, and he isn't you. It's not like I wanted any woman that Storm hooked up with to meet an untimely death because I wanted him to be with me. It's just that you were the person I imagined when I thought of Storm. I just didn't want to do something stupid. That sounds stupid, right?"

Castle shook his head. "No, it doesn't. In fact, it makes perfect sense. I told the kidnappers, well the guys and Lanie, that there were so many women in my life because I was trying to find the one. Do you know how hard that is when women fall for Richard Castle, and then get disappointed when they find out I'm just Rick."

"So who is Rick?"

Castle shrugged. "I was hoping you would come to the Hamptons and find out."

Beckett bit her lip. "I wasn't going away with Demming. He asked and then we got interrupted and he just assumed. Castle, I was going to say no to you because I thought the offer came from Richard Castle. Once I realised that the offer came from this mythical person called Rick, I was going to say yes. Then the Ice Bitch turned up."

Castle closed his eyes. "I'm an idiot."

Beckett shook her head. "No, I'm the idiot. I was so worried about you hurting me that I didn't realise I had the power to hurt you. I kind of understand why we were kidnapped now."

Castle laughed. "Yeah. You're not the only idiot in the room, though. I was acting a bit like Richard Castle when I asked you. Maybe if I had just been Rick."

"Maybe we should stop dwelling on the past. We can't change it."

Castle nodded. "So, where do we go from here?"

"I'd like to get to know Rick, and have a chance for Rick to get to know Kate. I want Rick to know that any feelings I have for him are for him, not Storm."

Castle smiled. "I'd like that. Don't get me wrong: I put myself in Storm, Rook and Richard Castle."

Beckett smiled and tried not to laugh.

Castle shook his head. "Oh wow. That did not sound that disgusting in my head."

"I understand," Beckett told him. "There's a part of the real you in each persona, and I'm the same. It's time to drop the personas, though. If it's okay with you, I'd still like to spend the weekend getting to know each other. Give us a chance to see if what we are feeling is worth exploring."

"Sounds good. Really good, in fact. Why don't we get some sleep, and then discuss the logistics tomorrow, okay?"

Beckett nodded. "Sleep, but not here,"

Castle held up his hands in defence. "No, I wasn't suggesting that. I want more than that."

Beckett bit her lip. "And you think that I'm the woman that can give you that."

Castle smiled. "I guess with time we will find that out."

Beckett bit her lip, nodded and slowly made her way back to the guest room. It was a strange turn of events that had just transpired. She had cried herself to sleep because she thought she had missed her chance at something real with Castle. When she had woken with a gun to her head and a photo of Castle in the same predicament life had just stopped. Thankfully neither of them had been hurt physically and in the end the kidnapping had been an attempt to stop them hurting emotionally. Ryan, Esposito and Lanie were only trying to help her out.

As Beckett slipped under the covers she started contemplating all the ways in which she was planning on killing Colorado, Zorro and Nessie.

The end.

Author Note. So umm yeah this story sooooo went in a way which I had never intended. It was meant to be all serious but ended up being alot funnier. I have already had request for revenge on the guys. I really didn't have any plans but as always if you have ideas please send them my way and ill think about it.


End file.
